The Hornbrook fire board has some explaining to do following the resignation of the town’s entire fire department.

The volunteer firefighters brought very specific safety concerns to the board, regarding among other things the conduct of board member and volunteer firefighter Roger Gifford in the field.

Rather than address those concerns, the board decided to retaliate, apparently disciplining their former department members in response.

Of course, we don’t know what the fire board decided to do, because they voted behind closed doors. They also decided not to make public what they voted on or whether the vote was unanimous.

If that sounds illegal, that’s because it is. The Brown Act, the piece of legislation that dictates public access to meetings, states in section 54957.1, “The legislative body of any local agency shall publicly report any action taken in closed session and the vote or abstention on that action of every member present.”

Not that it matters to the board. They’ve shown a clear pattern of behavior that allows them to do whatever they want without much regard for a democratic process.

Take, for instance, the fact that Gifford sat in on those disciplinary hearings. For all we know, he voted on them. That is a very clear and direct conflict of interest on his part, and he should not have been allowed access to those closed disciplinary hearings.

Other open meetings violations were observed. In one instance, public comments weren’t allowed. In another, a person giving public testimony was told they were no longer allowed to speak, not because they had gone over a mandated time limit, but because a board member didn’t want to hear their criticisms.

What we end up with is a government board that holds closed meetings, protects its own, votes in secret and doesn’t allow the public a voice. To us, this doesn’t sound like much of a democracy, or if it is, it’s one out of Vladimir Putin’s playbook.

But the news isn’t all bad. Several of the former Hornbrook firefighters, including Firefighter of the Year Lee Buckley, are still active in other departments. We were also grateful to learn that Montague’s fire department is currently filling the void, answering calls in Hornbrook until this mess is sorted out. That shows us that the firefighting community is one that can rise above petty politics to focus on its main objective: keeping all of us safe in a time of crisis. They serve as an example of what a group of people can accomplish when they come together to help their community.

Members of the Hornbrook fire board, take note. You are supposed to serve your community and its firefighters. The firefighters aren’t supposed to serve your economic engine for a long, long time.

By The editorial board is Robert Monteith, Kevin Dickinson, Don Hall, Marilyn Seward, David Smith and Dolly Verrue

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By The editorial board is Robert Monteith, Kevin Dickinson, Don Hall, Marilyn Seward, David Smith and Dolly Verrue